Kaleidoscope
by bionic4ever
Summary: KAL1: Jaime, her memory newly restored and giving her flashbacks, is sent overseas to rescue Steve, but Jaime has been doublecrossed...
1. Chapter 1

**Kaleidoscope**

Chapter One

The Secretary of State was livid, but Oscar Goldman was breathing fire. "What you're asking, Sir, is beyond ridiculous. It's ludicrous, unfeasible, and damn near impossible!"

"Steve Austin represents a multi-million dollar investment that I'm not willing to throw away if there's a reasonable chance of extracting him."

"I've been working for more than 36 straight hours, trying to come up with a plan," Oscar told him.

"We're running out of time. In less than 72 hours, he'll be sold to the highest foreign bidder. I don't have to tell you what kind of disaster -"

"Don't you think I know that?" Oscar pounded his fist on the desktop in utter frustration.

"You have an operative capable of getting in there, finding Austin and getting out in time, but you're refusing to send her. Why?"

"Sir, Jaime Sommers has been out of the hospital for just over a week, and -"

"Almost two weeks, and Doctor Wells says she's in perfect health."

"Did you happen to mention to Rudy Wells that you want to ask Jaime to go on a _suicide mission_?"

"Difficult, yes, but not impossible. And Goldman, I'm not _asking_..."

"But this is a unique situation, Mr. Secretary. You know about Jaime's struggles with amnesia -"

"Wells said she's finally fully recovered."

"Which is exactly the problem, Sir. Many of her newly-recovered memories involve Austin and their lives together as a couple. They were extremely close -"

"I know all about that."

"Problem is, she hasn't seen or spoken to him since regaining those memories. Steve himself doesn't even know yet."

"Touching scenario, Goldman. You do realize that touching little reunion will never happen if we don't get him out."

"My fear is, she'll see him, become overwhelmed by memories, and either blow her cover or freeze completely."

"She'll just have to be professional enough not to let that happen."

"You're also expecting her to parachute in..."

"Do you mollycoddle all of your operatives, or just this one?"

"It's a new invention, called compassion," Oscar said through clenched teeth. "You might want to check it out."

"Never heard of it; not here, anyway. You know, Goldman, I'm starting to believe the rumors are true..."

"And what rumors would those be?" _Can't punch him_, Oscar told himself. _ I'd go to prison._

"About you and the Sommers girl."

_On the other hand, it might be worth prison..._

The Secretary laughed. "I can give you any of them - from 'G' rated to 'Triple-X'. Heard 'em all."

"I'll pass," Oscar said grimly.

"Never put much stock in those rumors, until now. They're saying you're lost your objectivity, your impartiality; seems they might be right. You aren't sleeping with her, are you?"

"I won't even dignify that with an answer. Sir."

"Have you even called her yet, to discuss this assignment? This was _not _optional."

"I can't, in good conscience -"

"Well, I can!" The Secretary picked up Oscar's desk phone and began to dial. "I'll send her in myself."

Oscar glared at his boss. "Dammit - I'll do it. She barely knows you."

The Secretary smiled. "Doesn't like me much, or so I'm told."

"Right now, Sir, with all due respect, I don't either."

------

"Oscar, if Steve's in trouble, of course I'm gonna help him, but -" Jaime glanced over at the Secretary of State, sitting wordlessly in the corner, his arms folded skeptically across his chest.

"Ignore him and just talk to me," Oscar told her. "What were you about to say?"

"Two and a half days isn't enough time to get in there, establish a cover and get in on the bidding."

"_Exactly,_" Oscar affirmed, looking at the Secretary.

"I'm gonna do it commando-style."

"Now, wait a minute -" Oscar interrupted, but Jaime kept going.

"Get in, find Steve, get out. Period."

"Jaime..." Oscar looked directly into her eyes until he was sure he had her full attention, then he got up and moved to the window - which happened to be as far as he could get from his boss. With his back to the room, Oscar whispered in the softest, quietest voice possible. "Stop talking, Babe, before you're commited to something I can't get you out of."

Before turning around, Oscar spoke in a normal voice. "This mission carries serious risks to begin with. But your idea -" he turned to look at Jaime, "plunging in with no cover at all, as an intruder...it's suicidal."

"Oscar, I can do it. I _want_ to do it. It's Steve's only chance."

"With the original plan," he said, sitting down again, "you'd at least have a decent time and space window to parachute in. Your way, there'd be no window at all. When the pilot says jump -"

"Not a problem," Jaime said confidently, while her mind and emotions screamed **_NO_**! "I'll be fine."

"Jaime, listen -"

"Goldman!" the voice in the corner boomed, "if she's fine with it - has her own plan, in fact - why the hell are you trying to talk her out of it?"

"I have a gut feeling," Oscar began.

"And I have a presidential directive. Which do you think takes precedence?"

------


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Less than an hour later, Jaime was on a small transport plane bound for an overseas destination she'd never heard of, to parachute in the dark into an area just outside a compound for which she had no map. She'd checked and then double and triple-checked a parachute that had already passed a thorough safety inspection. Her mind scrambled back to the last time she'd strapped on a parachute...

_Steve smiled at her as they approached the open hatch. "There's no other feeling like it, Sweetheart. The wind - it's like you've grown wings. And the freedom...it's incredible." They'd kissed, and she'd jumped exitedly, with no fear or hesitation._

_And then..._

Jaime forced her thoughts back to the present, to focus on a single thought: **Find Steve**.

------

Somehow, Jaime managed to quiet her mind enough to allow a little bit of sleep. It wasn't the restful release she'd hoped for, though; dreaming merely brought her subconscious mind closer to the surface, allowing her no escape.

_"It might not be so bad, being the Bride of Frankenstein..."_

_"Will you let me try? Will you trust me...Jaime?"_

_"So, will ya?" "Will I what?" "Marry me?"_

_"**Marry me**..."_

The pilot's voice startled Jaime back to wakefulness. "Thirty minutes, Ma'am."

"Ok," she said, reaching for the thermos of coffee. "Thank you." She blanked all thoughts from her mind and concentrated on deep, steady breathing to calm herself.

"Fifteen minutes."

_"She's still slipping, Rudy..."_

_"Doctor, we're losing her..."_

Alright, she told herself, blanking out is not a good idea. Focus. Have to focus.

"Five minutes."

I can do this, she thought. I will do this - for Steve. But God, it's dark out there. Slowly, she moved to the hatch and slid it open. As the pilot began counting down seconds, Jaime remembered the warm, happy feeling she used to get in Steve's arms, and when the pilot reached zero, she pushed outward, held her breath and jumped. She jumped away from the safety of the plane, jumped into the dark, threatening unknown and jumped toward Steve.

------

Oscar paced the floor of his office, stared out the window and then paced some more. He'd come incredibly close to defying a presidential directive. Every fiber of his being had screamed 'Don't let her go; she isn't ready!' Jaime had over two years of OSI experience and training to guide her, but this was far more dangerous - life-threateningly dangerous - than anything she'd done before, with virtually no backround intelligence to lead the way. Her newly-restored memory was another unknown factor; hell, the entire mission was one huge question mark. Oscar was sure of only one thing: if any harm came to Jaime, it would be more than he could handle.

------

Jaime could see the lights of a huge main building, as well as four or five smaller outbuildings, and as she moved closer, she noted that the entire compound was surrounded by a wicked-looking electrified fence. It was at least two stories high, with rolls of spiky barbed wire at the top. She saw no gate, and thus assumed she was at the rear of the complex.

There appeared to be no searchlights, but the place was heavily guarded. In the short time she stood there, she'd had to duck behind a tree twice as guards passed by. A third set of two men stopped nearby to rest and she sank to the ground, leaning against the huge tree trunk, trying to breathe in complete silence.

When the men spoke, it was in a language she didn't recognize, but she was able to make out one word: "American".

Steve _is_ here, she thought to herself. It was torture for her to wait until the guards had moved on. With no clue where to start, she took a deep, steadying breath and jumped the fence. The instant she hit the ground, Jaime knew she was in trouble. Bright lights suddenly illuminated the entire compound, courtesy of motion detectors covering all ground within six feet of the fence. She felt a sudden, burning pain in her right side but there was no time to check it out. She could hear guards running toward her from every direction. Hoping to gain at least a few seconds to think, Jaime ducked into the nearest outbuilding before any of them could see her. She knew how bad this was; she was trapped, completely surrounded, and quickly losing strength from what she now discovered was a freely bleeding bullet wound. It seemed that Oscar's worst fears were about to come true.

------

Oscar's fear was escalating dramatically. While it was still only a 'feeling', his gut (which he'd long ago learned to trust) was heavy with the sensation that something was horribly wrong. Minutes later, Oscar's 'gut feeling' turned into an awful, wrenching certainty, and his fear to mortal terror.

Steve, unharmed and completely unaware, walked into the office.

------


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"Oh no..." Oscar sank heavily into a chair before his legs gave out. "You're...ok?"

"Well, with that warm of a greeting, I wish I'd stayed on vacation," Steve replied, looking curiously at his boss.

"How could anyone - especially you - just take off without a word to anyone?" Oscar raged.

"Hold on a minute. I _did_ leave you a message. You and Callahan were both out of the office, so I told the receptionist; even left a phone number where I could be reached. Oscar, what the hell -?"

Oscar was already back in full action mode. "Peggy!" he called, not bothering with the intercom. "Get Russ, Rudy and our entire top echelon of operatives; tell them I need them here _yesterday_! And get the Secretary. I don't care if he's out for dinner, having a massage or home in bed. I want his butt here, and tell him I mean **_now_**!" Oscar ran a frustrated hand across his forehead and through his hair, feeling the closest he'd ever been to completely overwhelmed. "It was a set-up..." he said softly. "God forgive me...I sent her right into a trap."

------

Jaime, meanwhile, had caught her first bit of good luck since her feet had touched foreign soil. The tiny building she'd ducked into appeared abandoned but had once been some sort of living quarters. She ducked into the fireplace and up onto a ledge in the chimney until all the footsteps were gone, then climbed down and ran a little bit of water in the miniscule sink, attempting to clean her wound as best she could. It was still bleeding rather badly, but she quickly searched and found a few towels, stuffing them temporarily into her shirt until she could find a safe place to rest for a little while.

She went to the door and, before opening it, Jaime listened to her surroundings with every bit of power her ear allowed. She heard only one or two voices, a good distance away, and waited until they were gone. There were no more footsteps approaching so she cautiously stepped outside, turned and jumped up onto the outbuilding's roof.

Good fortune smiled on her one more time. The roof was high on three sides and sloped down toward the back - the side facing the fence. The chimney poked up on the other side of the drainpipes, so she could sit between the chimney and the slopes of the roof and be reasonably well-hidden. The bed in the cabin had looked so inviting, but she knew they'd search there eventually, and if the spot she'd found wasn't soft, at least it was relatively safe. She pulled out one of the towels and began trying to staunch the bleeding, which was still alarmingly profuse.

------

Steve stood tensely in the back of the transport plane. His every thought was of Jaime. Was the fate she'd been told was his - capture and being put up for sale - now her fate, instead? Was she being tortured for information? Or was this a set-up by someone whose intention was to eliminate her entirely?

The small battalion Oscar had sent to attempt a rescue was on a larger plane that would land at an airstrip in a nearby city. Having them storm the complex would be the last resort, as it would also drastically increase the odds that, once the raid had begun, Jaime would be killed solely to prevent her from being rescued.

Steve would be going in alone first, in much the same area she'd landed in, less than 24 hours earlier. He was Jaime's best - and possibly only - chance of getting out alive, and he knew it.

------

If Oscar had been breathing fire the day before, now he was out for blood - from the Secretary of State. It had been more than two hours since he'd had Callahan call and ask that he come ASAP, and Oscar was beginning to think his boss might've been behind the plan to set Jaime up.

"Ok, Goldman; what is so all-fire important? Your little cutie break a nail?"

_Finally._ "Exactly who told you that Steve was in trouble?"

The Secretary stared at Oscar as if he thought he was a lunatic. "The receptionist who took the call. She wanted to forward them to me, but they gave her the message and hung up. What's -"

"That would be the same receptionist who neglected to tell me that Steve was going on vacation?"

"Excuse me?"

Oscar was only getting started. "And would you mind telling me how you got a presidential order with faulty, incomplete intelligence?"

The Secretary's face grew pale. "Oscar...you have to understand that my primary concern was getting Austin out -"

"Jaime's safety be damned?"

"I didn't say that. I did what I had to do to enable a rescue."

Oscar's eyes were burning with anger and disbelief. "You...lied to the President?" he asked slowly.

"Hell no. But - I did lie to you. There was no directive."

Oscar's fury threatened to boil over. "You son-of-a -"

"You wouldn't feel that way if Austin really had been in trouble."

"But he was never in any danger!" Oscar thundered. "And now, Jaime **_is_**!...If she's still alive."

------

Up to this point, Jaime had been too focused on what needed to be done to acknowledge any fear or pain. Now, as she sat quietly, holding a towel to her right side, she had nothing to do but think. She knew the blood loss had badly weakened her, and she stood no chance of retreating back over the fence. She wasn't even sure she'd be able to jump the single story back onto this roof again, once she got down. Jaime realized how extremely vulnerable she truly was, and it chilled her to the core. The pain seemed to be getting worse, as well, but she reminded herself that no matter how bad her situation might be, Steve's was worse. She _had_ to keep going.

Jaime stood up, and her head spun as her body swayed precariously on the edge of the roof. She aimed for the hiding spot again, knowing instinctively that she was about to pass out. The world faded to black and Jaime's body crumpled.

------


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Oscar had desperately wanted to accompany the rescue team, but he knew that someone in power had to be there in DC, in case anyone phoned with demands or a threat. He'd finally ascertained that the Secretary, too, had been duped and wasn't part of anything sinister, he didn't really trust him. Then again, he never really had. He respected him, yes, but trust? Not a chance. So now Oscar was stuck in his office, alone and feeling completely helpless, unable to save the woman he cared so deeply for. He prayed that Jaime was still alive and that Steve could find her in time. Any other outcome was absolutely unthinkable.

------

Jaime's subconscious mind was working overtime while she was lying passed out and in shock on the rooftop. The kaleidoscope of images turned more vivid, almost surreal, as snippets of her past whizzed by too quickly, taking on frightening proportions.

_"Her vital signs are going, Doctor..."_

_"She's got a massive cerebral hemorrhage..."_

_"Respiration down to two per minute..."_

_"Doctor, we're losing her...we're losing her...**losing her**..."_

Jaime abruptly woke up to the sounds of a scuffle, of actual physical blows being struck. She made herself as small as possible, crouched behind the chimney, and cautiously peered out. A woman was literally being dragged by two men into a large open area near the fence. The new OSI receptionist! Had she been taken along with Steve? She hadn't been at the job long enough to know anything that could be useful to them. She was panicked and struggling for all she was worth, in spite of (or perhaps because of) the two other men who followed behind with guns drawn.

The young woman was shoved roughly to the ground. Jaime saw the guns being raised and had to look away. She couldn't escape the sounds, though. Multiple shots rang out, too many, too close together to count. Then - silence. Jaime closed her eyes, trying to force back tears of fright and panic. If she'd had anything in her stomach, she would've been physically ill. She wondered if Steve would be next, or if he might've already suffered the same fate...

------

Steve moved to the airplane's hatch and opened it as the pilot's count reached 30 seconds. The sun had been down for several hours and it was just about 23 hours since Jaime had made the identical jump. Steve, too, landed near the back of the compound. Jaime had assumed she'd go in and be out again in a very short time, so she'd chosen to travel light, with only minimal supplies. Steve, though, was anticipating a longer haul, and had a large canteen of water and a decent cache of food in his pack, as well as a loaded gun and extra bullets.

He found Jaime's parachute, tightly rolled and hidden in some tall grass, and he knew he was on the right track. Steve was positive she'd jumped the fence; Jaime would never have come this far and not taken the next step. Steve had one advantage that Jaime did not: his eye picked up the infra-red motion sensors on the other side of the fence. He winced, knowing it was highly probable that Jaime had tripped those sensors and set off whatever alarms they triggered. Adrenaline surged through him as he realized she was most likely in serious trouble, or worse.

Steve leaped effortlessly over the fence, taking care to clear the sensors. He glanced at the ground and saw drops of blood. The pattern told him she was running, but she was injured. Moving along the backs of the buildings, he went in the opposite direction of where Jaime was perched, dazed and terrified, on the rooftop. He stopped just outside the open area where the receptionist had died. Her body had been removed, leaving only a large pool of blood littered with bullet casings. Steve's heart shattered; whoever had shed this much blood was obviously no longer living.

He leaned against a wall, overcome by grief, and suddenly caught sight of a trail of blood drops that started where he'd first spotted them and led in the other direction. His hope somewhat renewed, he set off to follow the trail.

------

Jaime had been drifting in and out of consciousness since the receptionist was killed. She didn't know it, but she was now running a fever and her mind was starting to play tricks on her. Steve had followed the blood trail into the cabin, but Jaime didn't hear the soft foot-falls of the man she once again loved. Instead, she heard the hard cr-runch of the four pairs of boots belonging to the execution team. They were coming for her now! Thoroughly terrified, she jumped from the roof and took off running, just as Steve was leaving the cabin. He followed the trail again to the back of the building - something in his gut or his heart just _knew_ it was Jaime's trail - saw the niche in the roof and jumped up to check it out, missing her by mere seconds.

He found three bloody towels, two of them completely saturated, and realized her wound was serious. He also saw tiny flecks of something - fireplace ash? - along with the blood and figured out the rest of the story. He knew she must've hidden in the fireplace or chimney after she was hurt, and was probably nursing the beginning of a raging infection. He wanted to call out to her, let her know he was here and not as a prisoner, but doing so would be a death sentence for them both.

------

Oscar was now being fueled by pots of coffee, rather than food or sleep. He wondered if he should've forewarned Steve about the return of Jaime's memory. He'd chosen not to, reasoning that the news would be so much happier if delivered _after_ they were both safe. Perhaps a small part of him wanted to hold onto his own unexpressed but not-too-well-hidden love for Jaime just a little bit longer before what he figured was her inevitable return to Steve's arms.

------


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Jaime ducked from shadow to shadow, cowering in each dark corner like a hunted animal. One by one, she searched each of the outbuildings but didn't see any sign of where they might be holding Steve. She figured they must have him locked up somewhere in the large main building, and began to move cautiously toward the center of the compound.

Steve finally caught sight of her, but noticed with alarm that guards were closing in - mere seconds from finding her. He knew she was no match for them in her current condition. Jaime stood no chance of fighting them off, but he did. He set the backpack down where it was partially hidden, hoping Jaime might find it and have food and water. Then he purposefully stepped out into the open, kicking up rocks and gravel to attract the guards' attention, to lead them away from Jaime.

------

The Secretary of State was preparing to swallow some mighty bitter medicine. Oscar's questions and accusations had started him thinking, and even though he'd had nothing to do with the plot against Jaime and Steve, his lie had kept the wheels in motion. Now, he intended to tell the President what he'd done and accept whatever might be coming to him. He reached into his pocket and pressed a tiny button.

The door to the Oval Office was slightly ajar. President Larkin was on the telephone, so the Secretary took a step back, away from the door - not to eavesdrop, but simply to wait his turn.

"You got one of them?" The President said angrily. "**_One_**? Well, whooptie-do! This country has already spent far too much on this 'bionic program'. I want them _both_ eliminated by this time tomorrow. Understand? What about that little bimbo receptionist?"..."Good; very good." Larkin chuckled. "I can just picture her sweet little face; after doing everything we told her to do, she thinks she's going overseas to avoid prosecution; thinks she's about to get more money than she could ever spend, and instead - BOOM!"..."Right. You catch the other 'robot' immediately and then terminate them both."..."Goldman gets popped tonight, then the whole unnecessary financial drain disappears, the budget balances - everyone's happy."

The Secretary of State was no longer interested in speaking with President Larkin. He took off as fast as his 60+ year-old feet could move; he had to get to Oscar.

------

Steve figured that since they already had him, he'd kick up a little dust, make a little noise, in an attempt to alert Jaime. "Ok - you found me," he said, just a little louder than normal. "Now what?" It worked. Jaime looked around the corner in time to see Steve being pushed into the main building through a side entrance. She instinctively headed toward where he'd been, instead of directly into the building. When she found the backpack, like manna from Heaven, she uttered a silent _thank you_.

------

Oscar shook his head. "I'm not leaving this office until Jaime and Steve are safe!" he said emphatically.

The Secretary sighed in frustration. "I'm still your boss, Goldman, and this is not a polite request! _Go home_ and get some rest - _NOW_!"

"I can't do that, Sir," Oscar insisted, refusing to budge from his desk.

------

Steve was in major trouble. He'd been injected with something that rendered him unable to fight back, and his captors had sprayed him with ice water, shocked him and were now resorting to their fists in an effort to pry whatever information they could out of him. Steve hadn't cracked, and still glared at them defiantly. "That all you've got?" he asked them, faking more strength than he actually had left.

"Oh, screw it," the one in charge snapped. "Take him outside and get rid of him."

The same four men who'd executed the receptionist stepped forward and began an identical procession, this time with Steve.

------

The door to Oscar's office flew open, and three men - strangers - burst in to confront the man who sat resolutely behind the desk.

"Oscar Goldman?"

"Depends. Who are you?"

"_Are you Oscar Goldman_?"

He stubbornly refused to budge from the chair. "Yes," he finally answered.

Without another word, all three men withdrew guns from their jackets and fired until every bullet was used, leaving the lone figure slumped across the desk - dead.

------

Steve was led to the open area where the pool of blood had been allowed to remain and was now beginning to congeal. He wasn't fighting them, but when he was forced to the ground with his back to the gunmen, he rose to his feet and turned to stare directly into their eyes at the very moment that multiple gunshots rang out, filling the still night air with the cacophony of violent death.

------


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Steve looked around, stunned and confused, unsure at first if he'd been hit. All four men - gunmen and strong-arms - were down. Standing off to one side, the gun still in her hand, frightened to the point of violent trembling, was Jaime. Steve knew she'd never fired a gun _at_ anyone before and had certainly never taken a life. Her face was ghostly-white, and she threw the gun down as if it were on fire and sank to the ground, dissolving into silent torrents of tears.

Steve was instantly at her side. He gathered Jaime into his arms and, as she sobbed with her head buried against his chest, he quickly assessed her condition and for the first time since he'd arrived, he felt true fear. She was burning with a fever so high, he wasn't sure how she'd managed what she'd just done. He'd thank her later for saving his life, but he knew at that moment she'd take it to mean 'Thank you for killing four people'. Steve was also in some pain of his own, realizing his left arm was broken and his balance was way off from being hit in the head. Neither one of them was capable of jumping the fence.

He figured they had ten or fifteen minutes, tops, before guards came to investigate. He tenderly rubbed Jaime's back, ignoring his own pain to try to soothe and comfort her, while his brain scrambled for some way to keep both of them safe. Jaime let out one very soft cry of pain and collapsed, unconscious, in his arms. Steve knew they were about as far as they could possibly get from being out of danger.

------

He had genuinely tried to do what was asked of him, but found it impossible. He'd take his lumps - and a good chewing-out, if necessary - but dammit, Oscar was going back to work!

Odd; why was his office door wide open when he'd closed and locked it? His eyes fell upon a truly horrific sight. The Secretary of State, or what was left of him, was sprawled across Oscar's desk with one arm extended, the hand clutching something as though holding it out for Oscar to find.

Oscar had to turn away for a moment, absorbing the shock and horror, then pried open his dead boss's fist. The Secretary had been holding a matchbox that was embossed with the Presidential Seal. It felt empty, and Oscar pushed it open. Printed in very neat, tiny letters, he read _desk-PC_. Oscar moved fast; in one of the drawers of Peggy Callahan's desk, he found a small yellow envelope with his name on it, with a cassette tape inside. After carefully locking his office door, Oscar set out to find Jack Hansen - his cohort from the NSB - and a tape player.

------

Steve gently laid Jaime on the bed in the tiny cabin where she'd first taken refuge. He pushed the empty refrigerator in front of the door to block it and as he turned he saw his backpack, which Jaime had neatly stashed in a corner. He dug through its contents, searching for the 'emergency packet' Rudy had tucked inside.

Jaime had begun rolling and thrashing about in the bed, as the kaleidoscope of images in her mind kept twisting and changing. She watched herself die on the operating table, as though she were hovering near the ceiling, observing. She saw Rudy shake his head sadly as he walked from the table, saw Steve take her hand and kiss her. She saw his tears...

A gentle familiar hand on her forehead re-routed her back to the present and Jaime opened her eyes. Steve's loving face looked down at her, his eyes filled with concern. "Welcome back," he said softly.

"Are...you ok?"

Steve smiled. "Don't worry about me right now. I'm fine, thanks to you." He had to be imagining it, but Steve thought he saw something - a look of recognition, maybe? - that hadn't been in her eyes the last time they'd been together. He pushed the thought aside and gently brushed the hair from her face. "Do you think you can sit up?" he asked. Jaime nodded, and he assisted her with his good arm. "Here," he said, handing her a pill from Rudy's little packet, and holding out the canteen. Trusting him completely, she swallowed the pill without any questions, her eyes never leaving his.

"It's an antibiotic," Steve told her. "A strong one; you should start to feel better soon."

Jaime smiled weakly at him. "Where are we?"

"We're still in that cabin where you put the backpack."

Her eyes grew fearful. "Oh."

"We'll be ok," he reassured her. "They haven't found us yet, and I've got the door barricaded, so they can't get in when they do come. We're safe."

"For now," Jaime added quietly.

"Pretty soon, I should be able to clear the fence, and take you with me."

Jaime noticed his arm, hanging limp at his side. "Your arm -"

"It'll be fine."

"Steve -"

Steve leaned over the bed and kissed her softly on the forehead. "Don't worry," he told her. As he started to straighten up again, his eyes met hers, and were trapped there, but he still refused to accept what his senses were telling him. _There is just no way; not after all this time..._

Jaime leaned forward, caressing his face with her hands and confirming what he hadn't dared to believe when she kissed him fully but very softly on his lips. Her arms moved to his waist, holding him gently, mindful that he was hurt. Steve's own arms automatically fulfilled his most vivid sensory memory, pulling her close to extend and deepen the kiss. For a few brief seconds, they forgot where they were. When they drew back to look at each other with both shock and joy, Steve nodded. "I'm not crazy...you _do_ have your memory back."

"I'm surprised no one blabbed." Jaime's eyes grew wide as she listened to a distant sound. "Steve - they're coming!" They sat very still and silent, arms around each other, as guards pounded on the door and tried to ram it open. Then the air grew very quiet; too quiet. Soon, they knew why.

"I smell smoke," Jaime noted. "Oh no...!" The wall at the front of the cabin had begun to burn. They both knew the miniature sink wouldn't be any help in trying to put out a fire.

"Jaime," Steve said, touching her face, "I want you to go up the chimney. From there, maybe you can clear the fence." The chimney was narrow. Steve didn't have to tell her - she knew he wasn't planning to follow her.

"I won't leave without you."

"You have to! Please, Jaime."

"No." She got off of the bed and moved to the fireplace, looking up. "I have an idea," she said, taking a small hop into the very beginning of the chimney. Bricks, mortar and dust formed a huge cloud that filled the cabin as the walls shook with the force of whatever she was doing. "Steve!" she called from the roof, "C'mon up - hurry!" She had widened the chimney with her frantic kicks, just enough for him to follow.

Steve joined her and they both saw the guards, who had backed away after setting the fire, now advancing toward them once again as the flames reached up to claim the roof. They looked at each other, a very fast, split-second look, but a very deep, emotion-filled one as well. They knew without saying that they had only one shot at the fence, and it was possible - likely? - that they wouldn't make it.

"I love you," Jaime whispered.

Steve wanted to answer, but the roof began to collapse beneath their feet and they had no choice left but to jump. They both landed on the other side of the fence and were grabbed by many pairs of strong hands that pulled them further away from the compound as a huge explosion filled the sky.

"Courtesy of the OSI and our new President!" someone declared, and Steve realized that, at precisely the crucial moment, the rescue team had arrived.

"Took you guys long enough," he said, just before he passed out.

------


	7. Epilogue

Epilogue

Rudy hovered between the two gurneys in the back of the transport plane. His patients refused to cooperate; kept sitting up to talk to each other and to him.

"We've only been gone a couple of days," Jaime marveled, "and there's a new President..."

"Larkin's in prison," Steve added.

Rudy was exasperated. "For the fourth or fifth time - yes. You two are on gurneys instead of in wheelchairs because I want you _lying_ down. Do I need to sedate the both of you?"

"We'll behave," Jaime promised, leaning back onto her pillow. "Who killed the Secretary of State?" she asked Rudy once more, rising onto one elbow. The old doc raised his eyebrows at her and she sighed and flopped back down to a prone position.

"Before you ask," Rudy said with a smile, "the new President will appoint a new Secretary of State, Oscar is ok, and the two of you will be, as well, if you ever learn to follow doctor's orders."

Steve reached across the slight distance between the gurneys with his good arm and took Jaime's hand. "That part, we already knew," Steve told Rudy. He gazed deeply into Jaime's eyes, touching her soul with his own. "As long as we're together, we are definitely gonna be ok."

END


End file.
